(Beijing) The Chinese government called on Russia and Ukraine to resume dialogue and rejected any recourse to nuclear weapons, in a 12-point document published on Friday, a year following the start of the conflict.
“All parties should support Russia and Ukraine to work in the same direction and resume direct dialogue as soon as possible” for a “peaceful solution”, said the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Titled “China’s position on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis”, the document was published Friday morning on the ministry’s website, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. 2022.
China has been seeking for a few weeks to play a mediating role in the Ukrainian conflict, and has been promising for several days to publish its position with a view to finding a political solution.
In the document unveiled on Friday, Beijing takes a clear position once morest any recourse to nuclear weapons, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has brandished this threat.
“Nuclear weapons should not be used and nuclear war should not be waged. The threat or use of nuclear weapons must be opposed,” the document states.
China also calls on both countries to avoid any attacks on civilians.
“The parties (involved) in the conflict must strictly comply with international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian buildings”, underlines the ministry.
This war is a delicate issue for Beijing, because of its strong diplomatic and economic ties for several years with Moscow, consolidated by the common interest of counterbalancing Washington.
Western pressure
China said on Tuesday it was “very worried” regarding the conflict which “is intensifying and even getting out of control”.
Officially neutral, China calls for respecting the sovereignty of states, including Ukraine, while urging the international community to heed Moscow’s security concerns.
But Western pressure is growing on Beijing, which has never publicly supported or criticized the Russian offensive, while repeatedly expressing its support for Moscow in the face of Western sanctions.
In recent days, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed concern that China is considering supplying weapons to Russia – allegations strongly denied by Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to Moscow on Wednesday, where he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Putin.
At the end of this visit, Moscow said that Mr. Wang had presented to him the approach of China for a “political solution” to the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he wanted to discuss this document on the Chinese position with Beijing, deeming the involvement of this close partner of Moscow “positive”.
“We would like to have a meeting with China. This is in Ukraine’s interest today,” Mr. Zelensky said.
“That China is starting to talk regarding Ukraine and is sending some signals is a very positive point,” he also said, stressing however that he had “not yet” been able to read the document. Chinese and that it was thus “too early to assess”.
